The Reconstructed Morphology of Old Chinese and Word Classes in Warring States Chinese

Abstract

Reacting to some recent debates on the issue, this article is conceived as a systematic evaluation of the potential contribution of reconstructed morphology of Old Chinese to our understanding and description of word classes in Warring States Chinese. It deals with the the evidence for Old Chinese morphology at our disposal, its essential properties, and its relationship to word classes and word-class flexibility in the language of the Warring States period. It comes to the conclusion that given both the present state of the field and the inherent nature of Old Chinese morphology itself, it is advisable not to overestimate the connection between the two systems and thus the importance of reconstructed morphology for the study of word classes at least in the Warring States era. The article suggests that it might be more appropriate to treat the mix of root words and derived words as a progressively petrified lexical foundation upon which the part-of-speech system of Warring States Chinese is built and on which its syntax operates.